


Inokashira Park

by Lady_Azzy



Series: What Was That? [1]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:47:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25101883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Azzy/pseuds/Lady_Azzy
Summary: Just a small character study.
Series: What Was That? [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1819762
Kudos: 9





	Inokashira Park

The last of the cherry blossoms were fading from the trees, the blooms scattered across the boardwalks and petals could be seen on the water surfaces. The soft sound of people enjoying the park and it’s many amenities could be heard like a faint whisper throughout the park, no corner truly silent. It was an absentminded observation for Ryuji as he stretched, his focus on his stiff right leg. 

His limb ached in a way he was still getting used to, especially after the Phantom Thieves debut defeating Kamoshida. The complete seizure of his leg as they were escaping the collapsing palace bothered him in a way he hadn’t put into words. It was that thought alone that drove him to start with gentle stretches and work his way through the more dynamic ones he remembered from the track team. 

As he stretched Ryuji could feel the stiffness in his leg and anger, hot and fast, surged through him. He barely paid it attention as he began his jog, the boardwalk passing under his feet in a blur. Slow was a new concept to Ryuji and he chafed under the speed. 

Running used to be his escape. Away from the reminder of his abusive father and the burden he was to his single mother. A place where he was untouchable and all thoughts would fade away. Today was nowhere near the same.

With the constant reminder of his leg threatening to seize again, thoughts of failure, of his friends and concern over the “right thing to do” demanded his attention. Ryuji gritted his teeth and tried to focus on the path in front of him. 

His first kilometre passed in a war to control his thoughts and ignore the thoughts of how he had failed so many people. The second kilometre was lost to anger over Kamoshida’s treatment of the track team and breaking his leg. The last half a kilometre was spent with a tight ball of nameless anger in his chest that reminded him of Captain Kidd preparing a Zio spell. 

Ryuji stopped beside a tree on the side of the path and rested a hand against the trunk. It wasn't that he was out of breath or that his leg felt like it was on fire that stopped him, but he couldn’t run with his head so full of thoughts. He slammed his fist against the tree in frustration and the anger in his chest eased. He slammed it once more for good measure and swore he heard a chuckle beside him. Ryuji stood straight and looked around determined to find the person who took joy in his frustration.

He could find no one that was nearby, especially for a chuckle to sound so close. Rightfully spooked, Ryuji hastily headed back to his belongings and left the park. He never noticed the tree he had beat his fist against now bore a burnt mark, similar to a lightning strike. It wasn’t until months later, when he felt Seiten Taisei awakening in the real world as he and his leader ate ramen in celebration that he realized maybe their Persona’s had a more concrete impact on them in the real world than any of them had thought. 

The thought would pass in mere moments as the two friends joked and talked of future training plans. As the two said their goodbyes Ryuji wondered. How many times had Captain Kidd seeped into his everyday life? 

Knowing that Seiten Taisei was more...there than he had previously thought, he wondered how much impact the self-proclaimed king had on his life beyond the Phantom Thieves. Or would he quickly amended in his head and that familiar chuckle echoed in his ear. Ryuji quickly checked his surroundings but determined that the laughter must have been from his Persona. 

The thought was an odd one and he grinned to himself. He knew he was nowhere near the quickest when it came to understanding the cognitive world, but he personally thought that his persona being present in the real world was beyond cool.


End file.
